Languages are treated somewhat differently in the Mægwen setting, adhering more closely to the real world's various languages based on ethnicity and geography. For instance, there is no universal elvish tongue, therefore a player must choose from a pool of continental ethnic languages associated with the "race" instead of simply choosing a universal tongue. In some regions, however, there exists shared racial languages with only minor dialectal differences, therefore choosing to speak one ethnic tongue of orc may permit the player to communicate with other tribal groups. But an elf from one continent could not be able to communicate with an elf from another using some generic form of "Elvish."
Common is basically the trade tongue of a continent but is not universal throughout Mægwen: a specific language deemed as "Common" is designated depending on the continent. For example, the trade language of Doa'Dane is Keshe, which acts as "Common."
A breakdown of available languages is accessible in each continent's section. The "Tongues" section under each continent provides the designated common tongue and contains more detail on which languages are similar enough for cross-ethnic communication.